I don’t face prep anymore.
- Thread starter clark1109
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I do the same and with cold tap water in the summer warm in winter. I usually splash some water on my face first. By the time the razor gets to my beard, the whiskers are hydrated.
Good to hear, unnecessary stuff needs to go. I am on the other end, if I do not soak the beard with HOT water before shaving it is gonna be rough. Only exception might be if doing a light shave which I do not ever do, all BBS for me.
I shave only in the shower so that helps with the soak.
I shave only in the shower so that helps with the soak.
Here is the exact way my dad taught me in 1982, and it was how he was taught some time in the second half of the 50s by his dad. Wash your face with soap and water, rinse off the soap and apply your lather. I usually do away with the wash part unless I've got lots of grime from work on my face and just get my face good and wet with hot water.
If I don’t have a shower, I wipe my face with a warm-hot face cloth for 20-30 seconds and that’s it.
No preshave tonics, serums, soaps or balms for me.
To each their own though...
No preshave tonics, serums, soaps or balms for me.
To each their own though...
Recently I had a string of less than stellar shaves, which prompted me to consider that maybe not prepping my face was leading to some irritation.
Turns out I was just rushing my lather. I had developed the habit of being in such a hurry and to be efficient with it that it just wasn’t a good lather anymore.
I face lather exclusively, and lately I’ve been really spending the time (2-3 minutes, usually on the lower end) working the lather on my face to make sure it’s well developed. Key for me seems to be spending less time splaying the bristles out and spending more time painting the lather around to really whip up something good.
All I can say is that I must’ve been missing out for some time because my shaves have felt better the last month than they ever have.
All that’s to basically say I think people like myself can get away with very little face prep if the lather is of good quality.
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Turns out I was just rushing my lather. I had developed the habit of being in such a hurry and to be efficient with it that it just wasn’t a good lather anymore.
I face lather exclusively, and lately I’ve been really spending the time (2-3 minutes, usually on the lower end) working the lather on my face to make sure it’s well developed. Key for me seems to be spending less time splaying the bristles out and spending more time painting the lather around to really whip up something good.
All I can say is that I must’ve been missing out for some time because my shaves have felt better the last month than they ever have.
All that’s to basically say I think people like myself can get away with very little face prep if the lather is of good quality.
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Congratulations for simplifying your routine! No prep for me either other than washing the face, which would be done anyway in the morning.
I have been doing the same thing since I started De shaving....Tried shaving after the shower but my Face didn't like it as much as a pre shower shave....Possibly the natural oils on my whiskers are making things smoother.
I do this if I dont shave right after a shower.
Yup, I just splash on cold water and start shaving all the time. I do it for the convenience and it's been fine so far.
I have never done face prep before. I just considered it unnecessary. I splash some water on my face while I load the brush and face lather and it always works for me.
I always shower after the shave, at least when possible.
Warm water and straight to it, with one exception; I do like to take a bit of the soap/cream I’m loading and massage it into my whiskers by hand. I remember my dad‘s barber doing this, using the back of his hand to rough things up. I like this practice, a nice base, finish loading and straight to the face.
I do no prep except for a lengthy splash of hot water on the whiskers.
And I splash it on for awhile to soften them.
And I splash it on for awhile to soften them.
hot water brings blood to the surface of your skin and softens the skin. All you want to do is wet your skin and
have your stubble "drink" the water and hydrate (fatten up).
The Lather is what makes your beard stubble "stand at attention", ready to be cut. If the skin is soft it cannot
do a good job of holding the stubble at attention, and you don't get a real good shave, because the stubble is
not cut as well as it should. And any small nicks bleed more because the blood that was drawn closer to the skin surface due to the hot water.
As far as slickness, some shaving creams and soaps just do not put down a slick coating. Some pre shave creams
are needed. Its like taking a well worn skating rink and using a zamboni to resuface the ice, allowing the skate
blades to glide, just like your razor blade will whn these products are used.
Cold water shaving and a small amount of pre shave cream will result in a superior less irritated shave
have your stubble "drink" the water and hydrate (fatten up).
The Lather is what makes your beard stubble "stand at attention", ready to be cut. If the skin is soft it cannot
do a good job of holding the stubble at attention, and you don't get a real good shave, because the stubble is
not cut as well as it should. And any small nicks bleed more because the blood that was drawn closer to the skin surface due to the hot water.
As far as slickness, some shaving creams and soaps just do not put down a slick coating. Some pre shave creams
are needed. Its like taking a well worn skating rink and using a zamboni to resuface the ice, allowing the skate
blades to glide, just like your razor blade will whn these products are used.
Cold water shaving and a small amount of pre shave cream will result in a superior less irritated shave
Interesting, i’ll have to give the cold water a try sometime. The blood rushing to the surface makes alot of sense.
I must have sensitive skin because i cant even wash my face shortly after a fresh shave without some slight irritation.
rbscebu
Girls call me Makaluod
I'm with most here. Before shower, cold water (for the tropics) wash face with bath soap, cold water rinse, apply just the smallest bit of shave cream to my whiskers, shave cream into a damp brush then cold water face lather and go for it with my SR. Two passes (WTG & XTG) gives me a DFS+ result with no damage or irritation.
I agree that too much hot water and too much time with the face prep can lead to swelling and softening of the skin and a worse shave. I would shave before my shower except for this one other fact: you can get a closer shave if you wait until you have been upright for a while before you shave. Body water gets redistributed after you have been up.
I get very good shaves in the evenings with just a quick face wash and rinse, then lather up and go, but I prefer to shave in the morning so I wait until after the shower but use lukewarm water.
I get very good shaves in the evenings with just a quick face wash and rinse, then lather up and go, but I prefer to shave in the morning so I wait until after the shower but use lukewarm water.
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